Reviews

Wow, I completely forgot to review this book. Well, I've had this on my physical bookshelf for a few years. Given that I am a smidge Irish (and I like folklore), this was an easy purchase, and one I'm likely to keep.

Granted, I know very little about Irish fairies and folklore beyond major media examples. I do very much like Yeats, but I don't know how representative this book is of Irish tales in general, though I also imagine many folk tales are localized.

Overall I think this is a good collection. It certainly isn't extensive. Rather, it covers handfuls of stories and poems regarding different groups (fairies of all sorts, ghosts, giants, kings and queens, etc). I was fascinated to read that, according to Yeats's research, leprechauns (solitary fairies) are rich because they make shoes (no mention of rainbows) and they wear red coats. Other fairies that live in groups wear green coats. And another sort of solitary fairy has the pipe that leprechauns are so often seen as having.

katieoppie's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

3.0

ghostgoboo's review against another edition

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I have other books i want to prioritize + I need to return the copy I was reading to the library soon

libraryfairy's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative lighthearted mysterious relaxing tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

For a collection of fairy tales this is pretty okay! A few of them were difficult to get through but the others made up for it.

glanecia's review against another edition

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5.0

This is a book of Irish fairy and folk tales. I gave this book such a high rating because I was absolutely fascinated at how fairy lore and catholicism intermingled in the majority of these stories. Some of the stories were about the pooka and banshee, which I'm sure existed in Irish lore long before Ireland became Catholic. In this particular book, the moral often ends up being that you should not listen to the devil, you should not practice witchcraft, you should listen to your priest. etc. In older Irish folklore, I'm sure that the lesson would be to not listen to the fae, to be careful of banshees, and to be kind to strangers. I think that the stories evolved - but never lost their true meaning - when catholicism came to Ireland. I think it's fascinating to see how two belief systems came together to form the stories we know today. It's easy to pick out which parts are catholic and which parts are from an older time. I also really like, how even though St Patrick is said to have chased the "snakes" (pagans) out of Ireland, it's quite clear to me, that the snakes never left. Open this book. The snakes are hiding in plain sight.

kbrimull's review against another edition

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adventurous funny lighthearted

Plot- or character-driven? N/A

5.0

lellowturtle's review against another edition

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3.0

3.5 stars

It was a decent book. I'm not sure if my expectations of it were what kept me from really liking it or if I did not understand some of the stories. But the stories that I did like, I really liked a lot. The Lady of Gollerus and The Priest's Soul were my two favorites and they were really good. The book is also absolutely gorgeous!!! It is definitely worth a read, especially if you are into Irish heritage. I got some insight from it.

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